Iron Rose Sister Ministries

Written by Michelle J. Goff, Founder and Executive Director of Iron Rose Sister Ministries

Jesus instructed His disciples and the crowd that gathered on the mountainside: “This, then, is how you should pray…” (Mt. 6:9a NIV). After warning them to not be like the hypocrites who pray to be seen by others, He provided guidance on the relational nature of prayer.

Our Father knows what we need, so we don’t need to babble or ramble to reach a minimum word count. Rather, the Lord’s Prayer expresses praise, request, confession, and submission to God’s will being done. In other passages, we see the vitality of thanksgiving as another essential element of prayer (Ps. 118:1; Php. 4:6).

Even as Jesus, in the Sermon on the Mount, transitions from teaching on prayer to His instructions on fasting, we see throughout the Scriptures that those two practices are presented in tandem (Mt. 6:5-18; Is. 58; Lk. 4:1-13).

John 17 is the only place in which we see the transcript of one of Jesus’ prayers. He prays for Himself, His disciples, and for all believers. Here, again, Jesus affirms the relational nature of prayer—the relationship He had with the Father, and the relationship the Son longs to foster between the Father and those who believe in Him.

Throughout the gospels, we glean from Jesus’ example the importance of prayer through His dedication to that practice. His level of commitment to this spiritual discipline is beyond question. Jesus withdraws from His disciples, takes time alone, and in Luke 6, even dedicates an entire night to communication with His Father.

One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God.
(Lk. 6:12)

While living in Venezuela, I remember several all-night prayer vigils (vigilias) during which we would sing, read scripture, pray alone, pray in groups, listen to others pray aloud, praise, and enjoy fellowship with our Father and our Christian brothers and sisters.

Sadly, I have fallen out of that practice. I rejoice most in remembering what it meant to share that commitment to prayer together. Jesus Himself asked His inner circle of three (Peter, James, and John) to join Him in prayer the night before He was betrayed.

Since our beginning, Iron Rose Sister Ministries has dedicated February as our Prayer Month. We pray individually and in community. We pray aloud and silently. We pray through Scripture and inspired by the Holy Spirit. Through prayer, we deepen our relationships with God and with one another.

Committed to Christ 24/7 in 2024 means that we are committed to praying as He prayed, especially this month. We have Prayer Calendars available with Bible verses and prompts for each day in English, Spanish, and Portuguese.

This Saturday, February 3, we will have a trilingual virtual prayer event. Please sign up on our website to receive the Zoom link and coordinate the start time with your time zone (10 a.m. Central).

Finally, on February 24, we will have our 24-hour Prayer-a-thon with people around the world praying with us. We love to see where others are praying from, so please sign up for a 30-minute time slot to pray and list your local city.

…as you help us by your prayers. Then many will give thanks on our behalf for the gracious favor granted us in answer to the prayers of many. (2 Co. 1:11)

Written by Marissa Gonzáles, volunteer with Iron Rose Sister Ministries in Guatemala

"Pray continually." (1Th 5:17 NIV)

As we read this verse, many of us may ask ourselves, “How can I accomplish this?”

Although some of us learned to pray from our parents or from someone who guided us in our spiritual lives, others did not have that support or teaching—they learned in the process of their growth in faith.

At some point in our lives, we all ask ourselves, “How should I pray? What will be the best way to do it?” Or we worry, “Why is our prayer not as fluid as others?”

Remember, praying is like conversing with someone very close to you to whom you want to tell everything you are going through or your life plans. In it, we find and achieve a close connection, and who better to do this with than our Heavenly Father—remembering that He is the center of everything and that our relationship with Him strengthens our life, faith, and prayers. When you start in prayer, it does not need to be extensive; start small, from your heart, and over time, it will become easier and more fluid.

Remember Jesus saying, "But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you" (Mt 6:6).

Whenever possible, find a place without distractions where you feel comfortable. I know that for moms, grandmothers, or those in charge of a little one, it is not easy to have these spaces. But as soon as you have those little quiet moments, take advantage of them! Give yourself some time for your communication with God, especially if it's at the beginning of the day, and find a place where you feel safe, and where you can connect and know that He hears you. Jesus set the example for us.

"Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed." (Mk 1:35)

I know it may not be easy to get started, but something that helped me was to make a list of thanksgiving where I could write simple things: thanks for light, cold, heat, etc. Your list may initially be small, but you'll gradually add more. Also, consider in that list what you think are "bad" things; for example, you left home late, the tire of your car or motorcycle was punctured, the transportion you were awaiting was delayed, etc. You'll say, “Be thankful for that?!” Yes, there's something good in everything. What seems bad to you will leave you with a lesson learned, or it will free you from something more unpleasant than just the displeasure of the moment.

Remember the fruit of the Holy Spirit:

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. (Gal 5:22-25)

And remember, praying isn't just about exposing all the needs or difficulties you're going through; it's not even just asking for what you don't have. Rather, it is the means to find peace as you connect with our Father, being grateful for what He allowed you to experience whether it is considered good or bad.

So, start by expressing thanks for every moment... Thank you, God, for this day, thank you for my family, thank you for the coffee, thank you...

Some may say, "How can you give thanks even for coffee?” Yes, we should also be thankful for little things like that because they give us pleasant and comfortable moments! By doing this, we improve our dialogue with God because it will no longer be just about giving thanks; we will also be mindful of why we say thank you. We will understand every situation in our daily lives, and we will be aware that we can change our attitude towards life and others, and that's where our relationship with God will grow.

With this as a foundation, you will form your prayer. Remember that Jesus left us guidance and an example when He prayed to the Father (Mt 6:7-15). Honoring our Heavenly Father, let us humbly present ourselves, ask Him for forgiveness for those faults we have committed, thank Him, express our love and trust in Him, and express what we feel from the heart— total dependency (24x7).

Be thoughtful about your prayers. Which do you do more: asking or being thankful?